BOSTON – Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach
John Becker has earned his seventh America East Coach of the Year award and
Shamir Bogues has been named America East Newcomer of the Year. The league announced its major awards and All-Conference honorees on Thursday afternoon.
RELATED LINKS
America East Release
Becker adds to his league record in Coach of the Year awards after leading Vermont to its eighth consecutive America East Regular Season Championship. The UVM bench boss has collected Coach of the Year Awards in six of those eight seasons. The Catamounts won the regular season by three games this year, posting a 15-1 record in America East play. UVM's 25 overall regular season wins tie for the second most in program history. Becker's seven America East Coach of the Year awards tie him for the fourth-most awards in a single conference in the history of NCAA Division I Men's Basketball.
Bogues picks up the award for the league's top transfer, while also earning All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive honors. The Killeen, Texas native led the Catamounts in scoring seven times this season, including a team-best four times in America East play. Vermont was 4-0 in league play when Bogues led in scoring. Bogues scored a season-high 23 points in UVM's thrilling 20-point comeback at UMBC. He led the Catamounts in rebounding (5.3 rpg) and steals (1.1 spg) in league play, while ranking second in assists (2.4 apg) and third in scoring (10.1 ppg). Bogues ranked third in America East play in adjusted defensive rating (94.2).
Aaron Deloney was named to the All-Conference Second Team after leading Vermont in scoring (12.2 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg) in America East play. Deloney was UVM's leading scorer in three conference games, with the Cats going a perfect 3-0 in those contests. The Catamounts are 16-3 this season when he reaches double figures. Deloney has averaged a career-high 3.1 assist per game this season. He led conference play in assist/turnover ratio (3.0).
TJ Long received recognition on the All-Conference Third Team. Long led the Catamounts in overall scoring, averaging 12.0 points per game in 31 contests. The junior has paced Vermont in scoring in as team-best nine games this season – the Cats are 8-1 in those games. Long reached double figures in 21 games with the Catamounts going 18-3 in those contests.
Ileri Ayo-Faleye joined Bogues on the league's All-Defensive Team after leading Vermont with 29 blocks in America East play. His 1.9 blocks per game against league foes ranked fifth in the conference. He led league play in adjusted defensive rating (89.7). Ayo-Faleye recorded three blocks or more in four league contests. The Lebanon, Pa. native recorded a career-high five blocks in UVM's road win at UMass Lowell (W, 72-65 OT) on Jan. 25. He also had double-doubles in wins over UMass Lowell and UAlbany.
Matt Veretto received his second consecutive All-Academic nod. The graduate student has accumulated a 3.85 GPA while pursuing a Master of Accountancy at the University of Vermont. Veretto started in 25 of 28 games played this season while averaging 9.0 points per game.
Top-seeded Vermont will host No. 8 UAlbany in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Jersey Mike's America East Playoffs on Saturday (Mar. 9) at Patrick Gym. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET. The matchup between the Catamounts and Great Danes will broadcast live on
ESPN+ with Rob Ryan and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. The broadcast will be available for international viewers on
AmericaEast.TV. Fans can listen to the game for free on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield on The Game, which will air on 97.1 FM in Burlington, 105.9 FM in Plattsburgh, and 960 AM around the rest of the region. The radio broadcast is also available via the
Varsity Network App with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
Tickets are available for purchase at
UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday.
McGee Automotive Family is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball
